PhD Fellowship in Sociolinguistics, Discourse Analysis, and Ethnology at TRANSITION Center for Changing Urban and Rural Lives, University of Copenhagen

**PhD Scholarship in Sociolinguistics: Contemporary Rural-Urban Tensions** The Center of Excellence TRANSITION – Center for Changing Urban and Rural Lives, based at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen, invites applications for a PhD scholarship in sociolinguistics focusing on contemporary rural-urban tensions. We welcome applications from candidates with backgrounds in Danish or Scandinavian studies, linguistics, or ethnology. The successful candidate will be enrolled at the PhD School at the Faculty of Humanities, affiliated with the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics (NorS). The scholarship is for 3 years, full-time, starting 1 May 2026. **About TRANSITION – Center for Changing Urban and Rural Lives** We are seeking a motivated PhD candidate to join TRANSITION – Center for Changing Urban and Rural Lives, a new Center of Excellence that opened on February 1, 2025. Funded for up to 10 years by the Danish National Research Foundation, it represents a collaboration between the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen and the National Museum of Denmark. Worldwide, the transition from predominantly rural to urban-centric societies marks one of the most significant shifts in human history, with profound implications for culture, language, and identity. This transition has fostered a longstanding narrative of opposition between rural and urban life, influencing social cohesion, democracy, and sustainability. At TRANSITION, we work interdisciplinary by combining studies in language, literature, and history to explore these developments. The center's research aims to uncover and understand the cultural history and lived experiences of people from 1870 to the present, exploring life courses, experiences of living in new contexts, and the transformation of rural and urban places. **The Position** Applicants are responsible for drafting a preliminary project description, which will be further developed in dialogue with the supervisor and the TRANSITION core team upon employment. The PhD project must be empirically grounded, preferably employing discourse and/or narrative analysis. We seek projects focusing on how rural-urban tensions are enacted, represented, and negotiated in a contemporary Danish context. Data may be collected through quantitative and/or qualitative approaches such as ethnography, surveys, or interviews, or through media sources, social media, or other relevant sources. The candidate is expected to actively engage in and contribute to the center's interdisciplinary research environment, including participation in joint data sessions and collaborative activities. **Qualification Requirements** Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to master's level related to the subject area of the project. Furthermore, applicants must have good knowledge of modern cultural history, and experience and/or knowledge of working with empirical data. If you have completed your education in Denmark, you must have a master's degree covered by the collective agreement for academics in the state sector. If you have completed your education outside of Denmark, you must either have a master's degree equivalent to a Danish master's degree (two years) or as minimum a bachelor's degree equivalent to a Danish bachelor's degree (three years) and be assessed as having professional qualifications at master's level. If you have completed your education abroad, we will obtain an assessment of your education from the Danish Research Agency. Applicants must possess skills in written and spoken academic English at a high level. The empirical data is in Danish, therefore the successful candidate must hold skills in Danish or another Scandinavian language. To be awarded a PhD scholarship, the applicant must enroll as a PhD student at the Faculty of Humanities, according to the rules of the Danish Ministerial order No 1039 of 27 August 2013. **The PhD Program** The PhD program is a study program that aims at training PhD students, at an international level, to undertake research, development, and teaching assignments. These qualifications open opportunities to a variety of careers within the private and public sectors. The program includes drafting a PhD thesis, active participation in research networks, PhD courses and knowledge dissemination. The standard duration of the PhD program is three years of full-time studies, which equals 180 ECTS credits. **How to Apply** Applications must be submitted online and written in English or a Scandinavian language. Please include the following enclosures in PDF or Word format: - Cover Letter detailing your motivation and background for applying - CV - Project abstract (maximum 1,200 characters) - Project description (maximum 12,000 characters, not including bibliography), including suggestions for relevant research questions, theory, and methods - Time schedule for the PhD project - Diploma and transcripts of records (both bachelor's and master's